On the face of things, the Derby County managerial vacancy is an attractive proposition.
Steve McClaren has now been sacked by Derby County twice in two years.
With state of the art training facilities, a loyal fan base, a category one academy and a local multi-millionaire owner willing to do whatever it takes to get the Rams back to the Premier League. Derby County have all of the tools at their disposal to make a return to the top flight. However, all is not what it should be at the club and that is the problem.
Steve McClaren was shown the door at Pride Park for the second time in two years following a demoralising run of one league win in their last nine outings. Friday night’s crushing 3-0 defeat at the hands of promotion chasing Brighton and Hove Albion proved to be McClaren’s swan song in the Derby dugout.
As reported by the Telegraph, chairman Mel Morris was said to be seething after the side’s woeful display at the AMEX Stadium and was considering sacking McClaren. Morris has wasted no time in putting his point across and has relieved McClaren of his duties less than six months after reappointing him.
With the club statement released on the official Derby County website announcing McClaren’s departure, Morris has set his expectations for the next manager:
“The Brighton game on Friday night was so far from what we expect to see from those wearing a Derby County shirt.
“To ensure we are on the right path, it is important to put the building blocks in place so we can develop a team we can all be proud of. Players should wear the shirt with pride and share, espouse and exude the qualities and values we believe are important to the club, its supporters and the community.
“We need a manager who shares our values and who is prepared to develop the team, staff and processes that will set us on course for a sustainable place in the Premier League. We are less concerned about timescales than we are about getting things right. Of course we would like to achieve this sooner rather than later.
“That manager will of course be given the full support and backing of myself, the board, our executive team and staff to shape and develop the team around those who truly and demonstrably want to be part of Derby County.”
The club is expected to name their new manager in the coming days with Gary Rowett the odds on favourite to succeed McClaren. Morris is said to be a long term admirer of the ex-Birmingham city boss.
McClaren has overseen a retched run of results over recent weeks
With the short time frame that has been given by the club for McClaren’s successor, it seems that discussions are already at an advanced stage. It seems likely that by the time other potential candidates have printed off their CV, Rowett will have signed the contract confirming him as Derby’s sixth managerial change in less than two years. It will be Rowett’s first role back in management after being sacked in December.
The Derby County job would be considered by many as the poisoned chalice of the Championship, taking over from Leeds United as the owner of this unwanted tag. Despite all his best intentions, Morris has now made managing Derby County a daunting prospect for any incoming manager rather than an exciting opportunity.
You feel that this next appointment is crucial to both the short and long term future of the club. With close to £50 million invested into the playing squad since the arrival of Morris at the club, the team is further away from being a Premier League outfit than the one that left the pitch at Wembley Stadium defeated in the play-off final.
With the squad calling for a major overhaul, there is a lot of work to be done at Derby if it is to become a dominant force in the Championship again. It is not beyond the realms of possibility and the next manager will, whether it is Rowett or someone else, require time to find the source of the problem which has led to Derby’s shortcomings on the pitch. When you take Morris’ track record into consideration, you might not get much of it before the chairman is once again evaluating things.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
